TPMS and winter rims...

"BaconSandwich is tasty." (baconsandwich) 12/09/2016 at 13:06 • Filed to: None

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So, I have a co-worker who bought a reasonably new car - one with tire pressure monitoring sensors. He’s interested in getting winter tires mounted on a separate set of winter rims, but because of the TPMS, he won’t be able to swap his own tires out without the TPMS freaking out. It seems like his options are:
a) Pay someone to swap his tires out twice a year, without buying extra rims
b) Buy the extra rims, and pay someone to reset the TPMS
c) Buy the extra rims and deal with the TPMS light being on for the winter
d) Buy the extra rims and somehow reset the TPMS light himself.

Is it possible to use something like an ODBII reader to potentially reset the TPMS, or does it take some specific tool?

(I know basically nothing about TPMS, as my cars are too old. :P)

PWRandSPD > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:10

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I use to just have a set of steelies for the winter and either delt with the tpms light or some gaffers tape. Put regular wheels and tires back on in the spring. If it was me, that is what I would do.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:10

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The way it works on my dad’s BRZ (the only car we own which has TMPS sensors in 2 sets of tires, my Mini uses wheel speed and my Moms legacy never had sensors in its snows) is that both sets of sensors are programmed to the car and when you swap them over it just starts monitoring the new set of sensors.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:12

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TPMS freaks out in cold temps anyway. Live with the light.

BorkBorkBjork > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:12

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Do you have a Discount Tire where you are? If you buy the new wheels and tires through them, then all rotations, TPMS resets, balances, and winter-to-summer tire changes are free.

vicali > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:13

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C is the correct answer..

CalzoneGolem > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:14

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Here’s the thing .... TPMS is stupid.

That’s it.

VonBootWilly - Likes Toyota, but it's still complicated. > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:14

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Have them look up the procedure before freaking out? I do my own, it’s pretty easy on my 2008 GM. It’s actually harder to get a good deal on sensors than it is to program them (for me so far ebay has been my friend for tpms sensors).

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:16

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Put black tape over the TPMS light.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:17

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Cover the idiot light with electrical tape and check tire pressures regularly. Like all of us should be doing, TPMS or not.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:18

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A well place piece of electrical tape (or removing the bulb from the cluster, for the adventurous) solves the TMPS light problem.

facw > CalzoneGolem 12/09/2016 at 13:18

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It’s a good idea with terrible implementation.

OPPOsaurus WRX > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:19

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C. thats what i did. its not worth the money to get a second set for steelies or whatever.

CalzoneGolem > facw 12/09/2016 at 13:21

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Putting the sensors inside the tire so that you can’t service them without breaking open the tire and that terrible display.

McMike > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:22

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I’m the same as you, none of my cars have the sensor. If it was me, I would just live with the light.

I just actually helped a buddy pick out snow tires. He got a complete mounted/shipped from TireRack. I think he had the option to go without TPMS, but he decided to get the steelies with the sensors installed.

I tried to talk him into not getting the sensors, but he just asked too many questions whenever I talked about how to live without them. I knew not to push.

MonkeePuzzle > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:23

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its just a light. swap the wheels himself and ignore the light through winter.

he will have to *GASP* monitor his own tyre pressure like we all have done for a hundred years

MonkeePuzzle > CalzoneGolem 12/09/2016 at 13:24

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PREACH!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:24

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Piece of tape over the light!

E90M3 > CalzoneGolem 12/09/2016 at 13:26

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Counter point: it’s worked flawlessly in both the bmws I had. If the light was on a tire was low. Fill them back up, light goes off.

CalzoneGolem > MonkeePuzzle 12/09/2016 at 13:26

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This is the best solution I’ve seen.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KT2BXY0/ref=s9_top_hd_bw_b2P0N8d_g263_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-4&pf_rd_r=QTHZNNJNH0SVW0NH8E2D&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=0a99b797-0f3f-57d7-815a-d5f0c124551e&pf_rd_i=2201763011

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:28

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Fair warning, if it’s a new honda...

You can’t turn off traction control if the tpms light is on...

CalzoneGolem > E90M3 12/09/2016 at 13:30

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But did it tell you which tire was low and/or what the pressures were?

E90M3 > CalzoneGolem 12/09/2016 at 13:31

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Told me which tire was low, I checked the pressure manually to double check.

facw > CalzoneGolem 12/09/2016 at 13:31

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Yep awful. you’d want something that can be managed without breaking the bead, and you definitely want something more descriptive to end users than the cauldron light.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 12/09/2016 at 13:32

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That is incredibly awful

Tekamul > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:33

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e) Buy the rims and tires, remove the TPMS from the old wheels.

Then

put the TPMS sensors in a PVC pipe

Drill a hole for a valve stem

Install a valve stem

seal the ends of the pipe

Inflate the pipe to 32psi

Throw the pipe in the trunk

Never look back

facw > CalzoneGolem 12/09/2016 at 13:34

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Wish they either added another USB port or had it plug in via USB rather than taking up the lighter. I need more ports!

CalzoneGolem > E90M3 12/09/2016 at 13:34

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I’m totally jealous of your superior TPMS.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 12/09/2016 at 13:34

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I knew someone was going to suggest this. :P

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Tekamul 12/09/2016 at 13:35

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Ha ha! I like it!

BaconSandwich is tasty. > BorkBorkBjork 12/09/2016 at 13:36

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Canada. No Discount Tire up here, I think.

E90M3 > CalzoneGolem 12/09/2016 at 13:38

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It’s actually pretty nice, this is how it looked on the 1 when all 4 tires were low, notice how it’s pointing to each tire.

CalzoneGolem > E90M3 12/09/2016 at 13:41

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If only there were a psi number display and sensors that you don’t have to break the bead to service it would be perfect.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 12/09/2016 at 13:45

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I’m lucky I live in Florida so winter tires aren’t an issue.. but I could see that being an actual problem

TahoeSTi > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 13:54

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This is a good reason not to by newer cars...all the damn federally regulated electronic crap sucks....why can’t we just laugh at people who aren’t smart enough to check their tire pressure once a month.

Tripper > E90M3 12/09/2016 at 14:10

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+1 E90 is the best TPMS in any car that I have owned. It works in the E46, but it’s only one light and has to be reset. The one on my brand new Audi doesn’t even tell you which tire is low, and didn’t come on until I was 8 psi short in each tire. That’s right 8!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 12/09/2016 at 14:24

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I dont think there is anything lucky about living in Florida

E90M3 > Tripper 12/09/2016 at 14:26

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It was pretty good in my 128i as well. A former friend of mind bought a 2015 A3 and had a bunch of problems with it taking an alignment. She was pretty livid, I haven’t heard many good things about modern audis

Tripper > E90M3 12/09/2016 at 15:02

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Audi skips out on the little things. For instance, when I got in the M3 on a cold day...Seat heaters come on, front and rear defroster kick on automatically (and go off automatically)... Same scenario in the Audi...Front and rear defroster are separate and don’t come on automatically (the rear defroster is really slow on top of that). It will put the seat heaters on if you had them on when you shut the car off last, and it’s 8 years newer than the BMW I’m referencing.

I’d be disappointed if I bought the Audi because it’s a “luxury brand”. Then again the A/S3 are more like a really nice VW than an Audi. So maybe those features I mentioned are in their larger cars.

I also had plenty of trouble with the fancy electronics in the M3 so I guess there is a trade off. Even though I’m really particular about cars, I really only care about how it drives, how it looks, and how much it weighs (no fat cars).

VonBootWilly - Likes Toyota, but it's still complicated. > Tekamul 12/09/2016 at 15:44

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I did this, my GM sensors needed to be moving in the wheel though, so half the time they went to sleep, so the other half the time they would set off the TPMS warning WHILE I was driving. So, yeah, not for all vehicles. I just gave in and got cheap ones.

StudyStudyStudy > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/09/2016 at 19:08

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He could also buy new sensors for his new winter rims. I think that is what my friend ended up doing. Some places won’t touch your car or will hassle you if you try to leave with the TPMS light on as it is now a mandatory functional safety system on newer cars at least in the states.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > BaconSandwich is tasty. 12/10/2016 at 20:40

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I wouldn’t freak out over TPMS sensors just yet. My wife’s explorer picked up the new sensors in the winter wheels without even needing me to do anything. When she had her Escape it took a few minutes to walk around once with the $15 tool from Tire Rack to get the new sensors to pair. YMMV, but generally you can find the pairing tools online for cheap, or pairing may not even be required.